Four Random Things

A Friday Hodgepodge

Screen capture by the author.

1. If you like Wordle, one "pompomsheep" at Hacker News is developing a timed word-solving game called 18 Words. As of this morning, the game gives you 30 seconds to solve words of increasing length and presents your score, in shareable form, for the 18.

2. A recent post at GeekPress notes that $180,000 isn't a "living wage" in San Francisco, reminding me of my move, soon after the 2008 financial crisis, to Boston.

Still reeling from the sticker shock of moving from a three bedroom house ten minutes away from work in Houston for $1000 a month -- to an apartment the size of a matchbox in Boston for $3500 a month -- I would regularly meet people at biotech networking events who had just moved from San Francisco to save money!

On the positive side, since my wife needed to be within a short commute to the hospital for her residency, we were able to ditch our cars altogether since that part of town was very walkable and well-served by subways.

3. On long road trips, my wife and I enjoy listening to audiobooks. Unfortunately, our road trips are usually far shorter than they used to be, now that we're New Orleanians. A possible remedy for us might be The Escape Pod, a science fiction podcast for short stories. (Based on a cursory look, they seem to be in the 30-60 minute range.)

I learned about the Escape Pod by reading and enjoying "Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers," which I recommend.

And yes, each story is available for reading at the site.

4. If, as I do, you occasionally take a "liver holiday," you might want to peruse this article and discussion on what makes a good mocktail.

-- CAV

(Comic) Relief From Rude Guests

Sometimes, advice columnists field questions about things that turn out to be non-problems. Case in point: a Dear Prudence question from the owner of a small farm whose guests fled at the prospect of no television set -- yes, set -- for a week after they broached the subject of their host purchasing one.

The writer is concerned that she should have informed the family beforehand that she didn't own a television set.

The answer contains all an egoist needs to know:

[T]hey could have 1) propped a laptop up on the coffee table and gathered around to watch it or 2) placed their own order for a new flat screen. It was incredibly rude of them to make you feel like you failed in some way. I'm just glad they left instead of subjecting you to whatever breakdown they were all going to have if they couldn't watch their shows.

Prudence was kind not to go further and wonder how worthwhile a week entertaining such couch potatoes would be for the host, or to congratulate her for getting rid of them so efficiently!

-- CAV

Tucker: Tip of the Demonic Iceberg

Witch-Hunting is making a comeback.

If you thought Tucker Carslon's ridiculous assertion that he'd been attacked in his sleep by demons was a one-off, I have news for you: At the Atlantic is a disturbing read about a particularly irrational Christian movement to wage what they call "spiritual warfare."

The piece focuses on a campaign of harassment by a couple, Andrea and Mike Brewer, who deem themselves such warriors, against the owner of a bookstore:

They went abroad as missionaries to India and Haiti, which only confirmed their emerging understanding of a universe with three distinct realms -- the heavenly, the earthly, and the underworld, with the Earth being the realm of spiritual warfare. On one side, the Holy Spirit, angels, and believers comprised an army of God. On the other were the forces of Satan -- legions of demons with names, ranks, and personalities that could inhabit people, geographical regions, and entire nations. In India, the Brewers claimed to have battled Shiva, Brahma, and Kali. In Haiti, Python and Mami Wata. There was Marduk, Osiris, Ra, Horus, Diana, Artemis, Shesha Naga, and so on -- a whole pantheon of demons that represented ancient religions and civilizations, and whose earthly expressions were essential to understanding current events.

By the time the Brewers returned to Maryville, they saw themselves as hardened spiritual warriors. They founded the Well [their charismatic church --ed] to continue the battle, joining an international network of churches and ministries called Global Awakening, which also had a seminary, where Andrea began studying demon history and hierarchies. When Mike asked God for their exact assignment, he told me when I visited in March, "the Lord spoke so clearly. He said, 'I'm giving you and the Well a mandate for the full eradication of witchcraft and demonic activity in the region.'" [bold added]

It should come as no surprise that the couple would eventually threaten the owner of a bookstore across the street from their church over drag shows she sometimes hosted for fundraisers:

[Bookstore owner Lisa Misosky's] recollection is that she called Mike, and that he talked about doing spiritual warfare against voodoo chiefs in Haiti, and that she said, "That's great, Mike. Why don't you have a cup of coffee with me?"

Mike's recollection is that he called Misosky. "I said, 'I'm not calling to resolve differences. We're not going to do that. I am calling to request that you go 18 and older for events,'" he said. " 'If you're marketing to children of this area, we're going to do everything within the law and the spirit to stop you. We will never harm you physically.' I said, 'I'm calling out of respect.'"

And that was the last time they spoke.

Soon after, Misosky got a call from the Anti-Defamation League. There had been some chatter about a protest at Southland [Books and Cafe] on neo-Nazi forums that the group monitored. At the time, all kinds of LGBTQ events around the country were being targeted by extremist groups. A gunman had just killed five people and injured 19 at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado. Misosky called the police. She called some local pastors she knew and asked that they show up at the fundraiser wearing their collars. She posted on Facebook that "MAGA fascists" were threatening the toy drive. [bold added]

Misosky is completely correct in her assessment that the Well targeted her bookstore and gave "moral cover" to the violent elements that would eventually get wind of this "spiritual battle" and show up.

That phone call was the moral equivalent of a mullah "inviting" infidels to convert or die, knowing that terrorists will feel justified in doing the dirty work if the implied threat doesn't get results.

The article is well worth reading in full, but with the following caveat: It is written from a leftist point of view, and as such, it is by an enemy of liberty about enemies of liberty. The author states in plain English which side she would assume advocates of capitalism are on:

Their version of the Kingdom mapped neatly onto the political goals of social conservatives, libertarians, and, more recently, the MAGA movement. The Kingdom would have limited government, free markets, two genders, one kind of marriage, and one kind of God. The "right now" part, meanwhile, offered an urgent paradigm for mobilizing grassroots believers out of the Church and into electoral politics, government, education, and all other realms of life where they were to assert God's dominion. The new apostles and prophets of the NAR spread these ideas through decentralized networks of churches, international prayer ministries, schools, revivals, and prayer rallies, attracting followers who could find a sense of power and purpose in building the Kingdom. Leaders spoke of believers as "warriors" or "God's army" or even "special forces," and churches as "military bases," and certain apostles as "generals." They believed that being a Christian meant being in a constant state of spiritual warfare. [bold added]

Ronald Reagan's deal with the devil of the religious right has been the gift that keeps on giving to the wrong people, left and right. Any reader of Ayn Rand's Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal will know to the contrary, for example, that capitalism is incompatible with religious tyranny, that religion cannot provide intellectual support for freedom of any kind, and that personal freedom is incompatible with economic tyranny.

-- CAV

At Least Corruption Took an L

The World Cup run for the United States Men's National Team came to an end last night in a manner harsh for the players, but befitting the autocrat who tried to influence the game.

Before the game and the controversy that would overshadow it, the Americans were having a good tournament. The head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, had done a fine job of instilling a team identity and a strategy that both played to the strengths of the players at his disposal and entertained the spectator with vibrant, attacking play.

Pochettino's men won their group with a game to spare, and narrowly lost the third game, when he wisely chose to rest some players and give backups playing time. Then, they very comfortably beat Bosnia in their first elimination game.

I've been a long-suffering fan of this team for decades, and I can't recall us ever winning a World Cup game comfortably, let alone three.

This is measurable progress.

But there are levels to go before this country will be a serious contender for the World Cup: I had no illusions about this game. Belgium have one of the ten best national teams in the world and, despite their aging squad, this game, while winnable based on what the Americans showed so far, was never going to be easy, let alone a sure thing.

Then, infuriatingly, on the day or so before the game, Donald Trump felt the need to insert himself into the world championship of a game he knows nothing about, and get overturned the one-match ban forward Folarin Balogun was to serve for being ejected from the Bosnian game.

Yes, the ejection was a mistake. Yes, there ought to have been an appeals process for the ban. But, as with any sport, bad calls are part of the game, and the time for amending the rules is between competitions -- not in the middle of them.

Trump's meddling sets a very bad precedent in a sport whose governing body is already corrupt, and was a very unwelcome injection of politics into a realm most of us enjoy in part because it offers a respite from politics.

(I am old enough to remember conservatives lauding the book title Shut up and Sing. Changing whose politics pollutes the entertainment is not the answer anyone needed here.)

All that said, the American performance last night was mostly unfocused and error-prone, and if there is one thing an elite team will punish mercilessly, it is mistakes.

Ahead of the game, I commented:

Before: If the US lost today, we'd have wondered what might have been absent [Balogun's] bogus red card.

After: Anything this very good team might accomplish will come with an asterisk, courtesy of the Meddler-in-Chief. We had a chance even without Balogun.

I wish Trump had not butted in.

I should have kept going.

We lost with Balogun on the field and we're wondering what might have been.

I may well have overestimated the level of the American team, but I can't imagine how this unwelcome controversy could have helped them prepare for that game or focus during the game. On top of that, what Trump did is also exactly the kind of thing that a good opposition coach will know how to use to motivate his players.

Earlier in the tournament, I watched Belgium's first game and texted my brothers of the turgid performance that Someone needs to take Belgium out back and shoot them. (Belgium improved over its next games, but they have an aging squad, and I can't see them getting past Spain in the next game.)

Before this mess, I wondered: Will this plucky, spirited team find a way to beat Belgium without its star forward? I didn't expect a win, but I was looking forward to the game.

As I see it, the Americans had a chance at an unforgettable win or at least a valiant stand. They and their fans got Trump instead.

-- CAV

Recipe: Pardon Me Mac and Cheese

Editor's Note: I will blog sporadically or not at all until Tuesday, July 7 due to OCON and the upcoming holiday. I will probably continue to post daily on X, however.

***

Shortly after my son got me to work out a new gumbo recipe (which he indirectly named with his review of my first stab), he got interested in coming up with a family mac-and-cheese recipe.

Viewing this as a side dish, I dragged my feet a little, but then two things happened. First, my son developed an interest in cooking, including wanting to help develop the recipe. Second, my wife got an elaborate recipe for "Jailbird Mac and Cheese" (which is actually a casserole) from one of my sisters-in-law.

Boy! That's a lot of work for a side dish. was my first thought at looking over that recipe, but I decided to make it with my son, since he was interested.

I learned how to make a cheese sauce on the way to helping my son learn a few things about cooking. Also, that name inspired my name for the final result, in mocking tribute to our times. The final recipe fairly closely follows this Chick-fil-A mac-and-cheese knockoff, which I decided to try on our third adventure with mac-and-cheese.

It's still lots of trouble for a side, but this makes enough to freeze multiple servings, balancing things out in the end.

It's not a perfect knockoff, but it's quite good, and having a frozen side dish that everyone likes on hand comes in handy.

***

Pardon Me Mac and Cheese

Preparation Time is 1 hour.

Ingredients

elbow macaroni, 1 lb. (3 cups)
butter, 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup
salt, 1 tsp
paprika, 1/4 tsp
milk, 2 cups egg
American cheese, 8 slices
shredded sharp cheddar, 16 oz.
shredded Italian blend cheese, 8 oz.
cooking spray

Directions

1. In parallel with next steps: set water for pasta to boil, add pasta, cook for 20 minutes, drain, and set aside.

2. Mise en place: a 9x13 inch baking dish; a colander; the butter in the pot for the cheese sauce; the flour, salt, and paprika in a bowl; a whisk; a stirring spoon; the milk; the cheeses; the egg; and a small bowl for the egg yolk.

3. Melt the butter at medium heat and whisk in the flour/salt/paprika.

4. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, then continue whisking for a minute or so until it has thickened.

5. Whisk together the egg yolk and a spoonful of the hot milk mixture in the small bowl.

6. Whisk egg yolk mixture into milk mixture.

7. Reduce heat to low.

8. Add to milk mixture: the American cheese (torn into pieces), and one cup each of the cheddar and Italian blend.

9. Stir cheese mixture to melt and combine the cheeses.

10. Add noodles to cheese sauce and combine.

11. Spray baking dish.

12. Place mixture into baking dish.

13. Top mixture with remaining cheddar.

14. Broil under constant observation until cheese just starts to brown.

Notes

1. Overcooking the pasta keeps it from sucking the moisture out of the other ingredients

2. The yield is 16 servings.

3. Freezes/reheats very well.

4. Do not take your eyes off this when it's under the broiler. Once it begins to brown, it can very quickly burn.

-- CAV

Altruism vs. Goodwill: A Prime Example

A Dear Prudence reader who needs to unplug from current events every few weeks asks (search "autism and ADHD") what to do about people who "accuse me of not caring about what's happening outside my house's four walls" for taking a break from Things.

The question and the answer remind me of an acquaintance from my pre-Objectivist college days who seemed compelled to help people to the point it was negatively affecting his grades and other aspects of his life. You can't help them if you don't even take care of yourself, I observed. (Ayn Rand soon helped me get to what I was missing: That nobody has an unchosen obligation to help anyone.)

Prudence's answer is a little bit like mine then, as it also implicitly assumes altruism:

I appreciate that these people care about the awful things unfolding around us, and I understand that it can be frustrating to hear someone say they're simply not engaging. But don't they realize that if you're ultimately going to be able to tune into current events in a permanent way (and more important, do something to help make the changes you'd like to see) you have to be mentally stable and not in the middle of a family crisis to do so? You know the way you unplug and walk away from the news because it's draining your energy in a way you can't afford? Do the same thing -- but maybe permanently -- to those who are disregarding your wellbeing to shame you for what you're doing to survive. I would be very leery of anyone who saw me struggling with multiple diagnoses, caring for two generations of people, and decided to attack me instead of helping me. [bold added]

Despite its flaws, the answer is excellent advice, and it's too bad it doesn't question altruism since the attackers exemplify by way of a negative example a crucial distinction Rand made, but rarely gets credit for:

Do not confuse altruism with kindness, good will or respect for the rights of others. These are not primaries, but consequences, which, in fact, altruism makes impossible. The irreducible primary of altruism, the basic absolute, is self-sacrifice -- which means; self-immolation, self-abnegation, self-denial, self-destruction -- which means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless as a standard of the good. [bold added] ("Faith and Force: The Destroyers of the Modern World," Philosophy: Who Needs It)

The attackers certainly can't be accused of goodwill the way -- thoughtless at best -- they would goad the letter-writer to self-destruction! It's an extreme example, but a good one of how altruism is, in fact, the enemy of the welfare of the "others" its preachers express concern about.

-- CAV

Groundhog Day, and They Don't Even Know It

John Stossel's report on the latest attempt by central planners to "fix" contract work contains the following incredible passage:

The Democratic Socialists said they had a solution. Seattle's city council imposed a $26 delivery driver minimum wage.

What could go wrong?

Two years later, we know the answer: Gig workers make no more money, but prices went up.

Apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats added a $5 fee for consumers "to help cover the costs of these ... regulations."

Now Seattle residents complain about prices. "I ordered a $12 sandwich ... $12 grew to $32!" complains one in my new video. "I just deleted the app."

"[Work] has become slow because of the new law," an app driver complains. DoorDash says it got 1.7 million fewer Seattle orders in 2024.

This is what happens when politicians dictate wages.

...

Former Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson admits that the politicians made a mistake: "We created a problem and it's our responsibility to fix it." [bold added]

The last line is not the good news we might momentarily out of hope imagine it to be: All these fools could come up with to explain the devastation they wrought was that they'd picked the wrong number.

That passage reminds me of the following from Leonard Peikoff's lecture, "My Thirty Years With Ayn Rand:"

Ayn Rand started thinking in terms of principles, she told me once, at the age of twelve. To her, it was a normal part of the process of growing up, and she never dropped the method thereafter. Nor, I believe, did she ever entirely comprehend the fact that the approach which was second nature to her was not practiced by other people. Much of the time, she was baffled by or indignant at the people she was doomed to talk to, people like the man we heard about in the early 1950s, who was calling for the nationalization of the steel industry. The man was told by an Objectivist why government seizure of the steel industry was immoral and impractical, and he was impressed by the argument. His comeback was: "Okay, I see that. But what about the coal industry?" (Voice of Reason, p. 341-342)

Today, our politicians seem to be a choice of outright criminals -- or people like that man.

Forget about rightly pointing out that two people have the inalienable right to contract bewteen themselves how much one will pay the other for an agreed-upon service. These people can't even apply relatively simple priciples like supply and demand to questions such as What happens to a market when a price is set arbitrarily?

And these are the politicians who are at least willing to admit a mistake.

We are in trouble.

-- CAV